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Master Fitness Trainer Sophia Yasmin has over 15 years of experience in the fitness industry worldwide. Sophia has developed a reputation among fitness enthusiasts in London, Melbourne, Singapore and now India as a high-energy and challenging instructor.

Sophia Yasmin has received training from the YMCA Fitness Industry Training, Les Mills International and the Pilates Institute in the UK. She has also trained with the Australian Fitness Network in Melbourne. Sophia holds two degrees, one from the University of London and one from the University of Melbourne; and her specialty is... more

Sophia Yasmin has received training from the YMCA Fitness Industry Training, Les Mills International and the Pilates Institute in the UK. She has also trained with the Australian Fitness Network in Melbourne. Sophia holds two degrees, one from the University of London and one from the University of Melbourne; and her specialty is exercise and science.Sophia undertakes training regularly to keep herself up to date with current research and she now resides in Goa, India where she teaches a variety of classes. Less

Questions & Answers

Walking is a great way to maintain physical fitness and a healthy attitude towards life. It is easy to incorporate this exercise into your daily routine. Try going for a brisk walk in the morning, at lunch and again in the evening. Before you know it, you\'ve incorporated thirty minutes of exercise into your day.

Q.

i have more fat deposited on front of stomach only in the belly shape.i don t have fat on the sides of stomach. plz suggest me the right exercise to slash it.

By: Harbir Singh 10 Jul, 2012

A.

Unfortunately, spot reduction doesn\'t work, either for the abs or for any other body part. The fallacy of spot reduction assumes that, if you have fat over your abs, then exercising the ab muscles will make that fat go away. While exercising the muscle may increase endurance or strength, it won\'t burn off the fat in that area. Look at your diet and try to reduce calories and drink more water; start an exercise routine of a combination of cardio and strength straining and try to include a core workout to work your abs more dynamically.

At it\'s most basic, losing weight is about burning more calories than you eat. To lose one pound of fat, you must burn approximately 3500 calories over and above what you already burn doing daily activities. That sounds like a lot of calories and you certainly wouldn\'t want to try to burn 3500 calories in one day. However, by taking it step-by-step, you can determine just what you need to do each day to burn or cut out those extra calories. Try eating 5 or 6 smaller meals in a day, walk for 45 minutes a day, drink lots of water and switch to healthy snacks.

Q.

Hi I m 26yrs old n my ht is 5.4ft. Last year my wt. was 80kgs & somehow i managed to reduce 8kgs. I want to reduce 2-4kgs more but when i m increasing time on treadmill, i m reducing the size of my face & with the abs excercises only result is not that much great. Pls. let me know what should i do w/o losing my chubby checks :)

Unfortunately, you can’t reduce the fat in your abdomen by doing sit-ups alone or by spot-reducing. With a combination of a healthy diet and two types of exercise, though, you will be able to reduce the fat in your abdominal area, strengthen your abdominal muscles and cause your abdominal area to appear flatter. This is accomplished by doing targeted toning exercise in conjunction with cardio exercise.
A popular, easy and effective ab exercise is the classic crunch. To do a classic crunch, lie on your back, put your feet flat on the floor and bend your knees. Loosely clasp your hands behind your head. Tilt back to flatten your back against the floor. Slowly curl your shoulders up from the floor about 30 degrees, making sure you don’t pull up on your neck. Hold for a second and then lower. Start out with two sets of 8 reps and gradually work up to 12 reps.

Q.

Hi Mam,
Are the market available soups like knorr soups have any nutrition value ?

By: Joydipta Sengupta 04 Jul, 2012

A.

he issue of weightloss has generated alot of controversy with many having the beieve that a particular way to loss weight is simply to burn more calories than one takes on a daily basics. However some don't even believe in this either to them adding or losing weight is a natural thing. Others believe that their bodies wont just get slim. I want you to share your frank opinion on any sincere way to loose weight. You might be helping someone out there. Wishing you all the best.

Evidence shows that the best way to lose weight is to make long-term changes to diet and physical activity that result in a steady rate of weight loss. Plan a healthy weekly shop. Healthy, balanced meals are key to a healthy weight, and eating a balanced diet often starts with having the right foods at home. At the market look out for fresh foods and healthier options. Find a way to fit just one extra walk into your day, fast walking is a way to burn calories, and you can often fit it into your daily routine. Identify danger zones.

These are times when you might find yourself eating lots of foods that are high in fat and sugar, perhaps because you are eating out or simply because you’re tired or stressed. Plan ahead, so that you can limit those foods.

Q.

Hi I am 31 year old man with 79 Kg weight and 179 cm height. So as far as BMI is concerned its in normal range. But I have belly fat and that makes my tummy look like of a 4 - 6 month pregnant lady. I have started gymming from last 3 months but there is no significant difference to belly fat. I have control on diet as well and try to eat every 2-3 hours. Please advise me how long will it take to make my tummy flat and visible six packs. Any special exercises? Gymming and diet is enough or I need anything else.

By: abhi 02 Jul, 2012

A.

To stop fat accumulating around the abdomen, engage in regular cardio exercise and eliminate refined processed carbohydrates from your diet (apart from the occasional treat). We cannot cope with these foods and they can cause excess belly fat. Your diet should consist mainly of fruits, vegetables and low-fat proteins such as chicken breast. Read food labels to find nutrition information, and stay away from oils, sweets and items high in fat.Go for long walks or runs every day. Cardiovascular exercise is an absolute necessity when it comes to burning calories. You don't have to run miles every day to get rid of stomach fat. Walking to and from work, if possible, is a good way to integrate exercise into your daily life. Perform upper, lower and oblique abdominal exercises. Simply performing stomach crunches will not burn stomach fat. Combine stomach-crunch exercises with abdominal leg lowering and lying oblique exercises.

Q.

is peanut butter healthy ?????? will it add on calorie or does it help in reduce weight ?????

By: Anonymous 30 Jun, 2012

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Peanut butter is one of those natural foods that you’d think would be good for you, but in reality, there are a lot of nutritional facts that dieters and others should know before they dig into a jar of their favorite brand. A big item in peanut butter is the fat. Sometimes, looking at the fat counters on your jar of peanut butter, you might think you haven’t read the label correctly. Over 100 grams of fat can get packed into that one cup of peanut butter, and many of those can be composed of saturated fats, a dangerous category that food makers have to spell out on those nutritional labels in order to warn health-conscious consumers away. Another big statistic for peanut butter is the number of calories this food packs: many jars of peanut butter will carry over 1500 calories per one cup serving, with the majority of those calories coming from the fats mentioned above. Despite the fiber and proteins in peanut butter, for many eaters who are watching their weight it may be better to stay away from peanut butter, or switch to an organic alternative.

Q.

Hi, I am 27 years young. height about 5.6 but i am underweight and slim. I want to put on some weight has per my BMI. Any Solution for this?

By: Anonymous 20 Jun, 2012

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Try to increase the number of meals you consume. Instead of 2-3 meals that you eat consider having 5-6 meals per day. However don’t make such drastic changes suddenly; you can increase a meal every 2-3 days to increase your food intake. Increasing meals might just not be enough sometimes. Focus on what you eat, consume calorie dense foods. Some foods that will provide you enough calories along with other nutrients include nuts and oilseeds like almonds, walnuts, cashew nuts, pistachio nuts, ground nuts, poppy seeds, flaxseeds, sesame seeds; dry fruits like raisins, dried figs, apricots and dates. You can include these foods in combination with other calorie dense foods for example you can make a dry fruit and nuts milkshake by churning some of the nuts and dry fruits you like with milk. Even though you are underweight don’t indulge yourself in wrong eating habits. Avoid gaining calories from junk foods, oily foods, fried foods, bakery foods, sweets, creamy desserts, carbonated beverages, colas and sodas. Calories from these are mainly from fats and simple carbohydrates which will increase fat mass in your body.

Q.

My age is 13 years i read your article in viva newspaper.I am a international level karate player an i exercise a lot but the problem is that there is a lot of tummy fat and i need to decrease it so please recommend me some exercise which can help me reduce my tummy tuck.Hoping for your reply.

By: Anonymous 25 Mar, 2012

A.

There is no quick fix or shortcuts to specifically reduce weight in one area of your body, saying that by adding some curl ups, oblique curls and plank exercises into your routine you should begin to feel a difference.

Hi mam Good Evening I am 35 year old girl, my weight is 68 , my stomach and all part is very big how to reduce in natural way.. I am in hostel so food is not good..REPORT

By: Anonymous 23 Jun, 2014

Q.

Hi mam Good Evening
I am 27 year old girl, my weight is 68 , my stomach and all part is very big how to reduce in natural way..
I am in hostel so food is not good..
please advice me which food is to help me.REPORT